SOC202H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Frequency Distribution, Sampling Error, Content Analysis
Document Summary
Social scientists attempt to explain and predict human behaviour. They examine characteristics of human behaviour: variables: characteristics that differ or vary from one individual to another (age, class, attitude) or from one point in time to another (unemployment, crime rate, etc) Not all human characteristics vary for example, gender; sex of mother is always constant. In contrast her age, race and mental health are variables. Social researcher must also determine unit of observation usually on individual persons but can also be on aggregates way in which measures vary across entire collections of people. Whether focusing on individuals or aggregates, ideas that social scientists have concerning the nature of social reality are called hypotheses. Research methods for testing hypotheses include more variables: these are frequently expressed in a statement of the relationship between two or, independent variable: presumed cause, dependent variable: presumed effect, experiment, survey, content analysis, participant observation, secondary analysis. Necessary to test hypotheses about the nature of social reality.
